10 More Behind The Scenes Reasons For MCU Characters' Quirks
4. Xialing's Hair
Though the Phase Four movie slate has been relatively hit and miss so far, particularly when compared to the Infinity Saga, one of the standout releases was Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. While the titular character became immediately popular with MCU fans, he wasn’t the only strong presence in the movie.
Alongside the likes of Katy, Trevor Slattery, and Wenwu, Shang-Chi’s sister, Xialing, made her MCU debut and also set up an exciting future.
As something of a rebellious daughter, who trained herself as a warrior without the consent of her father, Xialing was originally designed with a streak of red in her hair. This was essentially to highlight that rebellious side, but Meng’er Zhang asked director Destin Daniel Cretton if it could be removed.
Zhang told io9 that after reading an article that detailed the trope of female Asian characters having a hint of colour in their hair, she requested it be removed as she wanted her character to be more unique. This was a bold move to say this was her first ever acting credit, and even more so when you consider shooting had already been underway for a month, but Cretton agreed and she got her wish.